Ying Yi Kway Chap Braised Duck Rice Noodles

A general Kway Chap Stall seems to be a crowd-pleaser. With a history of more than 20 years and popular in its vicinity. The stall was manned by a pretty bespectacled lady who had taken over her dad's role.

Ying Yi Kway Chap Braised Duck Rice Noodles

The Kway Chap Set for 2 consists of fishcakes, pork belly, Tu Pok & intestines. The innards were well handled with no additional funny taste. The chilli that accompanied the food was good enough.

Kway Chap For 2

The braised did not have an overpowering taste and was not salty. Everything was of a well-balanced taste and that includes the soup in the bowl of kway. The meal was simple and comforting for a breakfast.

Ingredients Plate

When it comes to local braised stalls like this, I can't help but have a taste of their duck meat. It is tender coated with some sweet thick sauce.

Braised Duck Noodle - $3.50

Overall, I find that food tastes decent but I'm the one who prefers soup to be more of herb taste and sauce to be more on the savoury side. I love that the food handling especially the intestines is well managed. 

Rating: 3 / 5

Ying Yi Kway Chap Braised Duck Rice Noodles
Location: Cheng San Market & Cooked Food Centre, 527 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10,#01-145 Singapore 560527

Li Yuan Mee Pok 栗原ミーポック

 The history started when this Japanese Man Naoji left his corporate life to do something of his own. He started with a Japanese Food Stall in Kopitiam and was seen becoming an apprentice to the neighbouring stall Ah Hoe Mee Pok after tasting their noodles.

Stall of Li Yuan Mee Pok (Japanese Fusion Mee Pok)

There are a few items on the Menu ranging from $5 to $10 with crayfish and Japanese Fusion Mee Pok gaining most popularity. We had the Singapore Style Mee Pok.We have a $6 portion instead of $5 for the bigger portion will give us more ingredients in the bowl.

Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle (Dry / Soup) 香菇肉脞面 （干 / 汤）- $6 (Big)

It won't go wrong ordering this traditional Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle. It is served with mince meat, meatballs, sliced pork, braised mushrooms and slices of mock abalone.

Can't Wait to dig in

Its a very good bowl of  Bak Chor Mee Pok with the right texture of the Mee Pok. Noodles were spingy and comes with bursting of flavours from the assorted sauces used. Taste was distinctive with vinegar and lard. The sweet braised flavours from the thick cuts of mushroom.

Mee Pok

Though simple bowl of local flavours, it was a well-executed and comforting meal. The portion of mushrooms was generous and well braised strongly infused with braised sauce. 

Braised Mushrooms

We get to have a choice of Shoyu or Miso and I had the latter. Unlike the usual BCM (Bak Chor Mee) we have with a good punchiness of vinegar and chilli, this miso base Mee Pok comes a lot richer and heartier in taste. It has a sweet bone broth flavour and the combination of all elements in the both was just way perfect.

Japanese Fusion Mee Pok 日式未来面薄 - $7

The 3 thick slices of Chashu were tender and the fried pork lards had elevated their taste giving additional bites. The minced pork topped the noodles were generous and everything soaked well in the sauce mix. 

Slice of Chashu

Here's another variation of Mee Pok that is filled with minced meat, lean meat, abalone slices, prawn, bean sprouts and spring onion. If you prefer more of minced meat over mushroom, this is of a better option.

Special Mee Pok (Dry / Soup) 特制面薄 （干/汤）- $5

The Prawn is generally big in size and was pretty fresh. You can literally see the quality and freshness while trying to deshell. 

Prawn

The Bowl of soup was as big as the noodle and it tasted different from other orders as it consists of Ginger and more of crustacean flavours. Ingredients were similar to the Japanese Fusion Mee Pok with Mock Alabone, Minced Meat, Cabbage and Bean sprouts.

Crayfish Mee Pok 虾婆面薄 - $10

It's my first time having crayfish with Mee Pok. Such combination tasted not bad too.

Crayfish

So do you want to have a taste of a fusion of our local traditional BCM (Bak Chor Mee) with Japanese Chashu? Why not head down and experience on your own?

Rating: 4 / 5

Li Yuan Mee Pok 栗原ミーポック
Location: 18 Boon Lay Way, #01-98 Tradehub 21, Singapore 609966

Old World Bak Kut Teh

Got to know Old World BKT from the Yishun Branch and I was excited that they have a branch in the Western part of Singapore. 

Stall of Old World Bak Kut Teh in West Coast

I still remember the time we were in the queue for more than half-hour in Yishun for the food. Over here in West Coast, there is no long queue and patrons are required to collect their order upon hearing buzzer rings.

Buzzer

The signature orders cannot be missed if you are visiting Old World Bak Kut Teh. Do try out the Fried Porridge as well as their Pork Ribs Soup.

Orders from Old World Bak Kut Teh

As I did not get to try this Braised Mee Sua over in their Yishun outlet, I ordered one here. The portion was big, garnishings and ingredients were generous too. 

Mixed Pig's Orgran Braised Mee Sua 猪杂卤面线 - $5

The standard did not differ from the branch in Yishun. The popular Fried Porridge is still thick and generously filled with ingredients with pork lard adding flavours to it. Enjoy every spoonful of the porridge with the Wok Hei Flavour and the fragrance from the fried shallots as well as spring onions had elevated the taste.

Mixed Orgran Fried Porridge 猪杂炒粥 - $5

The value for money ribs soup is not to be skipped too. 

Pork Ribs Soup 肉骨汤 - $6 

The Mixed Organ Soup has a well balanced sour and pepper taste with ingredients such as tofu, meatballs, liver, stomach, pork belly and lean meat. Its appetizing alone and I can just have it without additional food. 

Mixed Pig's Organ Soup 猪杂汤 - $4

Here's my favourite Dry Fried Mee Sua pairing with my bowl of Mixed Pig Organ Soup over a bowl of plain white rice. The Mee Sua is well tossed within Oyster Sauce and Soy Sauce, topped with cut spring onions. If you love the dry version of a packet of Instant Mee Goreng, they taste similar! Yummy!

Dry Fried Mee Sua 干捞炸面线 - $0.80

With more outlets on the Island, I'm glad that their taste and standards have been maintained. If you are craving for any of the above dishes, you can give them a try.

Rating: 3.25 / 5

Old World Bak Kut Teh
Location: 727 Clementi West Street 2, #01-294 Singapore 120727

Maruhachi Donburi & Curry

Posted 19 May 2021

By word of mouth and social media, Maruhachi has gone popular over the weeks. This Japanese stall is located in one of the coffee shops in the HDB estates of Punggol. The stall was opened by the Ex-Head Chef of Tonkatsu Restaurant located at Ion, selling Kurobuta Pork Dishes.

Japanese Stall 

Apparently, Maruhachi is the only stall in the coffee shop that had drawn so many willing customers even though the queue is so long. At the glance of the other stalls in the same coffee shop, they look bored standing in front of the counter watching the forming of a long queue of Maruhachi's.

We queued for about 1.5 hours to order our food but a lot of items were already sold out even though we join the queue when the operating hours for the evening starts. After placing our orders, we still have to wait for about 15 minutes for our food.

Buzzer

Pork Katsu Don was deliciously good. Don was served with onsen egg and seaweed. The taste of the Pork Katsu was commendable and addictive. 

Pork Katsu Don - $9.80

Maruhachi offers a range of curry udon on their menu. However, they do have plain hot udon too especially for little kinds who prefer soup and noodle dishes without being spicy.

Plain Udon (Hot) - $6.80

The set reminds me of some quality pork katsu set from one of the restaurants. It comes with shredded cabbages by the side of the breaded Pork katsu with mustard sauce, roasted sesame sauce, and a lemon wedge. The Miso soup looks more interesting with not just seaweed.

Pork Katsu Set - $11.80

Close up

The cross-section of the pork katsu was distinct enough. The first layer was covered thoroughly and evenly with the crumbs. In the middle section, the mean was lean and tender too.

Close up of Pork Katsu

For restaurant quality and standard but at the price of a coffee shop, it is simply worthwhile. On a personal thought, if I need to queue long hours for the food, I don't mind topping up a few dollars more to dine in a more comfortable place without standing in queue for so long. Moreover, the place was not very convenient for me but it's really worth the try.

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Updated 11th November 2021

No doubt that Maruhachi has opened another branch, I'm still revisiting the place where I first went to order the food that I had failed to order before. We do not have to wait as long as the other time and the customer service is still as friendly despite the busy queue. The service is commendable as they are patient in answering the question on the food when I asked them the difference.

Black Pig Katsu Set - $14.80

The quality and consistency of food remain and the top layer of the Katsu was coated with crispy crumbs that added texture to the delicious Black Pig Meat. The meat was even and easy to chew on and goes well with the fluffy bowl of white rice.

Yummy Black Pig Katsu

He explained that the difference between the Special and the normal Pork Katsu Don consists of more ingredients with an onsen egg. Indeed, compared to my previous order of Pork Katsu Don, the slab of meat was slightly smaller in size.

Special Pork Katsu Don - $12.80

Look at the thickness of the meat, isn't the proportion of batter of right amount to it? Upon typing out this, I'm already drooling and thinking if I should head down to one of their outlet and have it for my next meal.

Thick Pork Katsu

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Maruhachi Donburi & Curry
Location: 671 Edgefield Plains, Singapore 821673

Wah Kee 華記

One of the popular stalls in Bendemeer Hawker & Food Centre. Ever wonder why is the queue so long on a normal looking plate of Wanton Mee?

Stall of Wah Kee

Let's us find out what this plate of Wanton Mee is a crowd pleaser. The noodles are springy and generously coated in their sauce with some blanched vegetables given by the side.

Wanton Mee 

This is the star on the plate. Their Char Siew deserves a compliment with the sweet savoury sauce coated over the meat and charred edges. Take a look at the meat, not only were they perfectly BBQ, the meat strikes a good balance of both fats and meat too.

Char Siew

As for the given Wantons in the bowl of soup, they are smooth and goes well with the plate of noodles. 

Wantons

Rating: 3 / 5

Wah Kee 華記
Location: Bendemeer Market & Food Centre, 29 Bendemeer Road, #01-81 Singapore 330029

Toa Payoh 93 Soon Kueh 大巴窑93筍粿

Recently we learnt from social media that this stall in Bendemeer Market & Food Centre makes Soon Kueh on the spot and we decided to check the Kuehs out. 

Bendemeer Market & Food Centre

As soon as we reached the Food Centre, I headed to this stall and saw 4 staff in the stall whereby 3 of them were busy preparing ingredients while the other 1 was occupied taking orders from the customers in the queue.

Stall of Toa Payoh 93 Soon Kueh

Forget about the moulded print that we often see on the Png Kueh as there is none here. Nonetheless, these QQ pinkish texture skin of the Png Kueh is definitely worth my trip here.

Png Kueh - $5 (5 Pcs)

I'm not a fan of Png Kueh as there were many times I get to eat those that have dried fillings as well as a thick layer of skin. However, these handmade kuehs that were freshly made on the spot had given me a different perception of it. The fillings were moist and chewy on the go.

Png Kueh Fillings

I love the silky texture of the Soon Kueh. Ingredients like shredded turnip, mushrooms and dried shrimps were well encased by the chewy skin.

Soon Kueh - $5 (5 Pcs)

All are good but we find that the thick layer of the skin can be improved. 

Ingredients of Soon Kueh

The texture of Abacus Seeds is chewy and unlike some places, the Hakka Abacus Seed can be loaded with flour. For the make of Abacus seed, Yam taste is prominent and I would say that they have nailed it. This traditional Hakka dish is fragrant with fried garlic coupled with other ingredients including black fungus as well as preserved vegetables (Mei Cai).

Hakka Abacus Seed - $3

Just take a look at the chewy Abacus Seed with other ingredients. I can't just stop popping these bite-size items into my mouth!

Close up of Hakka Abacus Seed

Rating: 3.25 / 5

Toa Payoh 93 Soon Kueh 大巴窑93筍粿
Location: Bendemeer Market & Food Centre, 33, #01-52, Singapore 330069

The Market Grill

With so many restaurants located along the Telok Ayer Street, the Market Grill may look inconspicuous but once you have entered and grab a dining session there, I believe that the place and food will leave you a good impression.

The Market Grill

The interior was an old styled American diner and traditional butcheries with some industrial elements. Their design consists of a "hole in the wall" section for serving up dishes. 

Interior of Market Grill

The Market Grill also serves dishes with meat cuts ranging from premium to standard cuts and from higher grade meats. I particularly like this mirror decor that indicate the parts of a cow.

Interior

On top of their usual menu, you can take a look at the big board in their restaurant for the special menu of the day. 

Well, let's dig into a robust steak, hearty roll and other dishes from their menu.

What's for the Day?

We ordered the Lobster Bisque for the start and it was served with charcoaled croutons and some sea salt by the side of the serving board. The Bisque contains cream, prawns and cognac. 

Lobster Bisque - $18

Look at the succulent meat from the Bisque... Gosh! I'm getting hungry now. 

Lobster

The Grilled Squid was yummy! The citrus sauce over it was addictive to the point that I can polish the plate clean. This starter dish is served in Salsa, pomelo, pomegranate, fresh herbs, lime vinaigrette and garlic saffron puree.

Grilled Squid - $15

It can be served as a whole or half portion. The Pork Ribs were well Barbecued with Jack Daniel BBQ Sauce evenly and served with some sauerkraut. 

BBQ Duroc Pork Ribs - $35 (Half Portion)

The ribs were evenly coated with the savoury sauce and meat was fork tender. We do not need to put in a lot of strength to separate the ribs for sharing.

Bet you will like this too

The Blackmore Bavette is on the menu of the day. This 200g of meat was served in medium rare doneness with roasted potatoes, pcikcles, olive oil and prunes. The meat tastes flavourful naturally and its juices together with tenderness just burst in the mouth well.

Blackmore Bavette - $68

I should say I come here for this. There are few dishes for the lobsters and I chose to have the Whole Lobster set that comes with Garlic Butter sauce, greens and mashed potatoes. The weight of the lobster is about 500g. Style of preparation can be chosen to be steamed or chargrilled or even Thermidor Style at an additional cost of $5.

These lobsters are flown from Maine and Boston. To maintain their freshness, they are kept alive in the huge tank. The meat is tender, sweet and luscious served in melted cheese. 

Whole Lobster - $62 + $5

Besides having good food and vibes there, their service team is professional, warm and friendly. It left us a good impression overall.

Rating: 4 / 5

The Market Grill
Location: 208 Telok Ayer St, Singapore 068642